… random observations from my journeys through a well-lived life

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Oh, Canada. One hundred and forty-nine years young, and we’re still working to get it right. Yes, I’m a ‘homer’. Third generation and proud of it. No matter what the words of the national anthem say, and even if we don’t always leap to attention with our hands pressed tight over our hearts when the first notes sound, we love our country in a quiet, polite, Canadian way. There is so much to be thankful for!

The Guardian newspaper, always thought-provoking, posted a short commercial that illustrates the impact of social media on ‘news’. They used the fable of the Three Little Pigs in a 21st century setting. Of more interest is how the focus of the story shifts as events unfold. [embedplusvideo height=”640″ width=”880″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/28RBjhD” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/3xIgq13mX3A?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=3xIgq13mX3A&width=880&height=640&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep6526″ /] Given what’s happening with the U.S. elections and now, in Europe with Brexit, we are constantly bombarded by the views of talking heads in suits as well as instant internet experts. Some of them are so wrong it’s laughable. Based on the shocking swings we’ve seen in ‘popularity’ of American candidates, it’s the doomsayers who shade the truth and monger fear who are the most dangerous, in my view. Take…

There’s nothing better than getting lost within the story world within minutes of starting a book. And as writers, this is what we’re striving to do: pull the reader in, pull them down deep into the words, make them feel like they are experiencing the story right alongside the hero or heroine. A big part of achieving this is showing the character’s surroundings in a way that is textured and rich, delivering this description through a filter of emotion and mood. It means we have to be careful with each word we choose, and describe the setting in such a way that each sight, sound, taste, texture, and smell comes alive for readers. This is no easy task, especially since it is so easy…

The Internet has turned into bedlam. Even the stupid pet videos and baby gifs have been eclipsed by doomsayers, conspiracy theorists and general nonsense. I can no longer watch the evening news. The daily litany of awful has got me avoiding anything on television except re-runs of Jane the Virgin and silly movies and binge-listening historical romances to take my mind off the atrocities filling the airwaves. Aside from the disgraceful state of the world, we’re having weird weather and the lawn is going dry and dead in patches. My novel is coming along fine. In fact, after taking a workshop last weekend sponsored by the Women Fiction Writers chapter of the Romance Writers of America, I now have a Tagline, Logline and Pitch,…

I attended a writing workshop a few weeks ago and the speaker talked about ‘black moments’, alluding to the despair and hopeless experienced by a character. That pissed me off. Such a lazy, unimaginative descriptor. Why is ‘black’ or the concept of ‘not white’, a stand-in for bad/evil/sad/danger? There are ‘black sheep’ – outcast or undesirable. Cats and crows are seen as sneaky and/or evil creatures. The scientific term ‘black hole’ meaning bottomless or unknowable. ‘Black-hearted’ means evil and sinister. Witches, sorcerers and mad scientists all wear black. ‘Black-balled’ means excluded or targetted for exclusion. ‘Black’ also refers to hats, knights, mail – all negatives. In the 90s, when our collective consciousnesses were being raised, I recall reading an article about how word and…